Clematis plant named ‘Evipo103’

ABSTRACT

A new  Clematis  plant with a compact growth habit, profuse, red purple flowers, and continuous summer flowering. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for cultivation in commercial nursery culture. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation from vegetative cuttings.

Botanical classification:

Genus: Clematis.

Species: viticella.

Variety denomination: ‘Evipo103’.

This application claims priority to Plant Breeder's Rights Application Number 2020/2276, which was filed at the Community Plant Variety Rights Office in the European Union on Sep. 21, 2020, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED PLANT

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of Clematis plant which originated from a controlled crossing between the female seed parent, an un-named seedling, and the male pollen parent, an un-named seedling. Both parent varieties are non-patented.

The two parents were crossed during the summer of 2006 and the resulting seeds were planted the following winter in a controlled environment in Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom. The new variety named ‘Evipo103’ originated as a single seedling from the stated cross.

The new Clematis plant may be distinguished from its female seed parent and male pollen parent by the following characteristics. The female seed parent has mauve tepals while the new variety has red purple tepals. The male seed parent grows to a height of 80 cm in one season, while the new variety grows to a height of 50 to 60 cm.

The objective of the hybridization of this Clematis plant was to create a new and distinct variety for nursery culture with unique qualities such as:

-   -   1. Uniform and abundant red purple flowers;     -   2. Vigorous and very compact, mounding growth habit, making the         variety suitable for container culture; and     -   3. Improved disease resistance.

This combination of qualities was lacking in Clematis plants that were in commercial cultivation and the qualities have been substantially achieved in the new variety.

‘Evipo103’ was selected by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in their Clematis development program in the Channel Islands, United Kingdom in 2007. Asexual reproduction of ‘Evipo103’ by means of vegetative cuttings and traditional layering was first performed by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in the nursery during the summer of 2007. This initial and subsequent asexual propagations have demonstrated that the characteristics of ‘Evipo103’ are true to type and are transmitted from one generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustrations show as true as is reasonably possible to obtain in color photographs of this type the typical characteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, and stems, of ‘Evipo103’.

Specifically illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings are open flowers viewed from above and underneath, and tepals detached revealing reproductive flower parts.

FIG. 2 shows a flowering branch, bare stem, and leaves detached.

Illustrated plants are 2 years of age.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of ‘Evipo103’, as observed in its growth outdoors throughout the flowering period in Odense Denmark. Observed plants were cultivated for a period of 24 months in 2 liter containers. Certain phenotypical characteristics of the variety may vary under different environmental, cultural, agronomic, seasonal, and climatic conditions. Color references are made using The Royal Horticultural Society (London, England) Colour Chart, 2001, except where common terms of color are used.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the Clematis variety ‘Evipo070’ described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,254 are compared to ‘Evipo103’ in Chart 1.

CHART 1 ‘Evipo103’ ‘Evipo070’ Flower diameter 110 mm 130 mm Tepal upper Red-Purple Group Red-Purple Group 61A surface upon 60B with intonations opening of Red-Purple Group 61C Tepal count 8 6

-   Flower and flower bud:     -   -   Blooming habit.—Continuous. The natural flowering period is             generally from April to September.         -   Flower bud.—Size: Normally 30 mm in length. Bud diameter is             11 mm. Bud form: Long campanulate, broad based. Bud color:             Yellow-Green Group 144B. Texture: Pubescent.         -   Pedicel.—Surface Texture: Smooth, lightly pubescent. Length:             On average 25 to 30 mm in length with 2 mm diameter. Color:             Yellow-Green Group 144A. Strength: Moderately strong.         -   Receptacle.—Surface Texture: Lightly pubescent. Shape: Broad             funnel. Size: 2 mm (h)×5 mm (w). Color: Yellow-Green Group             144A.         -   Flower arrangement.—Location on vine: New growth only.             Borne: Singly and clusters of 3 to 9 flowers per flowering             branch.         -   Flower bloom.—Size: On average, flowers are 110 mm in             diameter and 15 mm in depth. Profile: Open flowers are             nearly flat. Fragrance: None. Lasting Quality: Flowers             normally remain up to 14 days on the plant.         -   Tepals.—Tepal Color: Upon opening, the upper surface of             tepals are Red-Purple Group 60B with intonations of             Red-Purple Group 61C. The tip of the apex is White N155B.             The lower surface is Purple Group 76A and Purple Group N77B             towards the margins. There is a central bar of Greyed-Green             Group 193B. Quantity: Normally 8 tepals. Size: 65 to 70 mm             in length by 38 mm wide. Shape: Individual tepal shape is             elliptic. The tepal apex is mucronate. The tepal base acute.             Apex Recurvature: None. Tepal Cross section: Flat. Margins:             Entire. Moderately undulated. Persistence: Tepals drop off             cleanly.         -   Reproductive organs.—Pollen: None observed. Anthers: Size:             About 8 mm in length. Color: Greyed-Yellow Group 160D.             Quantity: On average 35. Filaments: Color: White N155C with             colorations of Violet Group 86C at base. Length: 10 mm.             Pistils: Quantity: On average, 20. Stigmas: Inferior in             location relative to the length of the filaments and the             height of the anthers. Styles: Color: Yellow-White Group             158B. Length: 10 mm.         -   Seed head characteristics.—Seed not observed to date. -   Plant:     -   -   Plant form.—Mounding.         -   Plant growth.—Very compact.         -   Size.—Seasons growth attains 50 to 60 cm in height. Average             spread is 40 to 50 cm.         -   Stems.—Color: Juvenile stems are Yellow-Green Group 144A.             Mature stems are Greyed-Orange Group 166B. Internodes: On             average, 70 to 85 mm between nodes. Length: Normally 20 cm             from the base of the plant to the flowering portion of the             stem. Diameter: About 3 mm. Texture: Mature stems are             ribbed.         -   Plant foliage.—Leaf characteristics: Deciduous. Arrangement:             Trifoliate. Leaf Size: Compound leaves are about 120 mm             (l)×130 mm (w). Leaflets are about 60 mm (l)×36 mm (w).             Abundance: On average leaves per 10 cm of stem. Leaf Color:             Juvenile upper Yellow-Green Group N144A. Juvenile lower             Yellow-Green Group 144A. Mature upper Yellow-Green Group             144A. Mature lower Yellow-Green Group 144B. Stipules:             Absent. Petioles: Size: Normally 50 mm in length by 2 mm             diameter. Texture: Smooth. Color: Yellow-Green Group 144A             with intonations of Greyed-Purple Group 183A. Petioloule:             Size: About 30 mm in length by 2 mm diameter. Texture:             Smooth. Color: Yellow-Green Group 144A with Greyed-Purple             Group 183A. Leaflet Shape: Cordate. The base is rounded or             oblique, and the apex is acute. Margin: Entire. Surface: The             upper side is smooth, the lower side is smooth. Thickness:             Moderate. Glossiness: Moderately glossy.         -   Disease resistance.—Subject to any disease that normally             attacks the species. However the variety is more tolerant to             Clematis wilt, Ascochyta clematidina, than some Clematis             known to the inventors.         -   Cold hardiness.—The variety is tolerant to USDA Hardiness             Zone 6.         -   Heat tolerance.—The variety has been found to be suitable             for climate conditions found in the American Horticulture             Society heat zone 7. 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Clematis plant named ‘Evipo103’, substantially as described and illustrated, due to its abundant red purple flowers with good keepability, attractive long lasting foliage and compact growth, year round flowering under glasshouse conditions, suitability for production from softwood cuttings in pots, durable flowers and foliage which make the variety suitable for distribution in the floral industry. 